reviews and musings on contemporary music and film

Film Review: Sully (2016)

Tom Hanks is perfectly cast as Capt. Chesley Sullenburger in this dramatisation of real events, of, and following, the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, on Jan 15, 2009. Clint Eastwood’s adaptation shows us the events post-ordeal, putting us back in the pilots shoes via flashback, as, despite being labelled as a hero by the media, ‘Sully’ Sullenburger’s choices are questioned and he ends up taken to court. The script can feel a bit forced, but it gives us enough information about the inquisition to stay interested and not feel short-changed, while focusing on maintaining a sense of humanity and emotion, which, complete with delicate, piano-based soundtrack and Birdman-style visions to represent Sully’s PTSD, pays off surprisingly well.